Ernest R. House

In an effort to improve student performance, some educators advocate retaining low-achieving students at certain grade levels until they have mastered the skills needed to move up to the next level. In the following viewpoint, Ernest R. House maintains that flunking and retaining students does not improve their academic performance and can even be harmful. Studies reveal that students who have been retained are more likely to drop out of school than are similar students who are regularly passed. More effective ways to boost academic achievement include identifying potential problems early on and intervening when poorly performing students are very young, House contends. House is a professor of education at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How many elementary students were held back in Chicago public...